Text Size

-

+

reset

Take DeGeneres’ Oscars selfie, for instance. The adorable group celebrity shot, it turned out, was preplanned. Samsung Electronics Co. negotiated with ABC to have its Galaxy smartphone integrated into the awards show, according to the Wall Street Journal.

But sometimes politicians lose control of their selfies and that can spell disaster. No one can forget Anthony Weiner’s indecent selfies, which led to his resignation from Congress in 2011. Former Rep. Chris Lee (R-N.Y.) also resigned in 2011 over a shirtless selfie, which he sent to a woman whom he met on Craigslist.

Fox News host Geraldo Rivera’s selfie last summer, in which he flaunted his 70 year-old bod, got him booted from a speaking gig at Duquesne University. A few months later, Weiner and Rivera offered their own joint olive branch selfie, an apology to the world for their previous selfie sins.

Politicians also lose control of their selfies when the media enters the picture.

Obama’s selfie with Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt and British Prime Minister David Cameron at Nelson Mandela’s funeral in Johannessburg last year spiraled out of control after the three were snapped as they took the selfie by an AFP photographer. The photo of the selfie sparked tabloid gossip that Obama was flirting with Thorning-Schmidt.

Two weeks ago, Obama appeared in another selfie, one that was clearly planned. At a White House film festival, the president, Bill Nye (The Science Guy) and Neil de Grasse Tyson huddled for a selfie, which Nye and de Grasse Tyson later posted on Twitter, garnering thousands of retweets.

Losh saw the photo with the scientists as an attempt by the White House to “reclaim” the selfie after what happened in South Africa. With the midterm elections on the horizon, Losh suggested that Obama’s trying to appeal to younger voters (who take selfies) that the Democratic party needs to turn out. Over half of millennials—55 percent—have shared a selfie on social media, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey.

The fact that the White House posted a video of the threesome taking the selfie supports this idea— revealing the process behind the photo may be an effort to build credibility. “We tested the lighting,” de Grasse Tyson jokes in the video. “Look at the lens, not at yourself,” Nye instructs.

Bridget Coyne, a government and politics manager at Twitter, said that selfies are a part of a larger trend of politicians being more expressive on social media.

They’re tweeting about their TV-watching experiences, sharing other kinds of personal photos and Vine videos, she noted. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) shared a celebratory Vine from a St. Louis Cardinals’ baseball game last fall, and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) posted a clip of his one of his kids bravely sledding in the backyard in January.

“You get to experience what the senator is experiencing as well,” Coyne said. “They’re taking constituents with them and showing them what it’s like, a day in the life.”

She and the others see politicians’ efforts to bring their constituents closer as valuable because expressive social media presences give the public a sense that they are participating in the political process.

The viral selfies have one thing in common—they present extraordinary people—the Pope, the president, the rich and famous—acting ordinary, like rest of us humans who take and share selfies. The selfie is claiming its place as the most personal, spontaneous, authentic form of self-presentation possible.

From the authentic impression they give off, selfies derive their power. The public has a tendency to conflate selfies with the real self. And that’s something that politicians are picking up on.